Holbrookia is a genus of earless lizards, known commonly as the lesser earless lizards, in the family Phrynosomatidae. The genus contains six recognized species, which are found throughout the Southwestern and Central United States and northern Mexico. They are characterized by having no external ear openings, presumably to prevent soil from entering their bodies when they are digging.
The generic name, Holbrookia, is in honor of American zoologist John Edwards Holbrook.[1] [2]
Lesser earless lizards grow to about 2.0–2.5 in (50–65 mm) snout-to-vent length (SVL), plus a tail of 3–4 in (75–100 mm). They are typically grey or tan in color, with black blotching. The males usually have blue patches on either side of their bellies, whereas the females do not. Females often change to have bright orange patches when gravid.
Holbrookia species are diurnal, basking lizards. They spend the vast majority of their time sunning on rocks, even in the heat of the day, until the surface temperature reaches around 104 °F (40 °C), when they will retreat to a rock crevice or burrow.
Lesser earless lizards are insectivorous.
The genus Holbrookia contains six species which are recognized as being valid.[3]
| Image | Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holbrookia approximans | speckled earless lizard | Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. | |
| Holbrookia elegans | elegant earless lizard | United States and Mexico | |
| Holbrookia lacerata | northern spot-tailed earless lizard | Mexico, in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, and to the United States, in south-central Texas. | |
| Holbrookia maculata | lesser earless lizard | United States and northern Mexico | |
| Holbrookia propinqua | keeled earless lizard | Southern Texas and northeast Mexico | |
| Holbrookia subcaudalis | southern spot-tailed earless lizard | Mexico and the United States in southern Texas. | |
Earless lizards (genera Cophosaurus and Holbrookia) are found in the Southwestern and Central United States, in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and as far north as Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They are also found in Mexico, in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.